October 2016: BMW Group U.S.

[William Maley]

BMW Group U.S. Reports October 2016 Sales

• BMW brand sales decrease 18.4 percent
• MINI brand sales decrease 3.3 percent

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – November 1, 2016… Sales of BMW brand vehicles decreased 18.4 percent in October for a total of 24,017 compared to 29,439 vehicles sold in October, 2015.  Year-to-date, the BMW brand is down 9.0 percent in the U.S. on sales of 254,150 vehicles compared to 279,395 sold in the first ten months of 2015.
 
Notable vehicle sales in October include the BMW 7 Series which increased to 1,133 cars, the BMW X1 which increased to 2,710 vehicles, and the BMW X3 which increased to 3,680 vehicles.
 
 “The volatility of the U.S. market is more clearly evident as the pace of sales continues slowing from the peak of 2015,” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America. “At the same time, BMW Sports Activity Vehicles – X1 to X6 - have set a new record, more than 100,000 sold year to date, accounting for 47% of our October sales, with room for more growth as demand for these popular models continues to increase.”  
 
BMW Group Sales
In total, the BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported October sales of 27,971 vehicles, a decrease of 16.6 percent from the 33,526 vehicles sold in the same month a year ago.  Year-to-date, BMW Group sales are down 9.6 percent on sales of 297,015 vehicles in the first ten months of 2016 compared to 328,456 in the same period in 2015. 
 
MINI Brand Sales
For October, MINI USA reported 3,954 automobiles sold, a decrease of 3.3 percent from the 4,087 sold in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, MINI USA reported a total of 42,865 automobiles sold, a decrease of 12.6 percent from 49,061 automobiles sold in the first ten months of 2015.

[A Horse With No Name]

They have stopped some of the bleeding at MINI but they are taking on water as fast as troubled Volkswagen as an overall car maker.

This might bolster the idea that every luxury car maker will have to make some serious adjustments to current market forces.

[smk4565]

The dated styling and monotonous look is hurting them, and their crossover line is a bit dated, which hurts when crossovers are hot.  The 5-series is just getting clobbered and it was once good for 4,000 cars a month easy, I know it is near the end of the model cycle, but the new 5 looks the same as the current 5, I don't see how they change course there.  By upsizing all their cars, they got big cars that aren't performance cars anymore, and luxury was never their strong suit.